The next season of Z-LAND will take place 5 years after the last.
To get you ready for it, Rycon has written what happens during those 5 years and we’ll be posting them here so you can follow along with what happens to the survivors.
Last time we covered the finished off Nic and Jake’s adventures around post-apocalyptic New Zealand. This time we are going back to the reserve to see what happens with Chloe and Scott.
Chloe
A calling that had been at Chloe’s heart from a long while would finally be answered. A great journey, first in search of a lost friend and then the search for the one she loves. A journey fraught with danger but one that Chloe felt she must take. She smiles, looking back on the MDC and those that live within it. “They’ll be alright,” she thinks to herself as she begins the long trek into the unknown.
Scott
Back at the reserve everyone attempts to come to terms with losing two more members of the community. Not knowing when the others will return, Scott works with Schalk, Chloe, Frank and Jonah to work out a new watch schedule and adjust duties where needed. After the first week of the two being gone the idea that they might not come back begins to enter many minds, to make matters worse Chloe has packed her bags in the attempt of finding Rycon. Jonah and Frank protest but Chloe states it as something that she just needs to do.
Now missing three and the last left from the original group Scott attempts to bring together those that remain. At the start of the timeskip there were thirteen… now only ten remain. More than ever they all must work together and Jonah assists in making sure that happens. Scott throw himself into his work attempting for the first time to start the process of making chain mail. He has the tools and the resources necessary and, with the remote location of the Reserve, he has the time to learn through trial and error. He measures up Jonah and Frank first and begins the process. When he hits a brick wall or get frustrated he bashes out another spear until he has eight for everyone to defend themselves with. It takes time and a lot of frustration, and Frank continues to help Scott as he can but Jen finds herself enjoying the process of linking and becomes an apprentice. Charles approves and seems happy to see his daughter learning.
After two months and no word from either party that left small forays are made out to search the surrounding countryside. Jonah and Frank get to test and then attest to the strength of Scott’s mail. It took time and countless hours but his work saved lives and allowed the two men to return home safe.
Scott’s mornings are still spent fishing with Charles who’s now been sober since their arrival at Goat Island. He seems like an entirely new man, but he still fears walking beyond the perimeter of the reserve. Scott doesn’t think he’d ever be able to survive beyond them but at least knows in here he can keep on working on being a father that Jen could be proud of.
As the year leads on and the seasons change, the reserve was blessed with a constant source of seafood. It fluctuated throughout the year but there was always enough for the ten of them. Supplemented with a garden that Lulu had been running with the young ones, Goat Island was eating well. There are a number of times throughout the year that small projects are required of Scott by Frank to fix plumbing pieces which further hones his craft. Once winter rolled round with full force colds and coughs became common with everyone living in the same building and something else became apparent to everyone. Willow was pregnant. She had been hiding it from the community for a time and with her living in the home away from everyone that had worked for a good long while.
She never confirmed the father but many suspected Flip. It didn’t seem to bother her but the rest of the community was concerned with what was come a number of months from now. To make matters worse Jonah suffered a near fatal heart attack towards the end of winter leaving him much frailer than before. Thankfully Willow was able to save the old man and nurse him back to health. Slowly she and everyone else was beginning to feel comfortable together.
As each month passes the hopes of anyone returning slips away and the community adds three more crosses to the small memorial space at the edge of the MDC. Scott continues to work, the forge feels like home and its warmth is good in the winter. Jonah insists he doesn’t need the armor anymore as he really can’t be going back out there. Frank suggests to relink if for Scott himself. Looking at it Scott doesn’t really need to add all that many links. After nearly a year of hard labor and a cleaner diet he’s slimmed down to a comfortable weight, but he is much taller than Jonah so the ends will need a few more links. Jen is happy to help with the process but she’s worried, just like anyone is when someone leaves, after losing Nic , Chloe and Jake.
With the suit repurposed Frank fills Scott in on the next stage of his plan. Using the pink ute which he repaired and got road worthy the two of them would travel to the nearby properties and strip them of their fences. As long as they were above head height they would suit them perfectly. Trip after trip allowed the two of them to gather the materials necessary to complete a fence line around the MDC. It’s hard work but with everyone else back at the MDC helping a small wall is raised around the perimeter of the discovery center. A great sense of accomplishment for all of them and an added sense of safety.
After the completion of the wall everyone took a good few days off and at the end of that the baby came. It started during the night, Lulu had insisted that Willow stayed in the main building while so close to giving birth. The night is a difficult one and it seems touch and go but as the sun rises both Willow and her baby boy are alive and seemingly well.
It’s a moment that strikes everyone at the reserve, a child has been born that will never know what was before the world they live in now. Many of the group hope for continued peace, and with that Scott’s year comes to an end. But not before he finishes his final project: an object that serves as both a weapon and a tool, a mix between a battle-axe and shovel. A hefty task but one he throws himself into, with the support of his apprentice.
Tune in next time to see what happens with Schalk and how the year comes to an end.
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